Native Lives Matter Syllabus

Mah-Hi-Vist Goodblanket, Christina Tahhahwah, John T. Williams, Nicholas “Sul” Concha, Corey Kanosh, Benjamin Whiteshield, Christopher J. Capps, Sarah Lee Circle Bear, Loreal Juana Barnell Tsingine, and Paul Castaway are just some of the Native Americans who have recently been killed by police. Indeed, Native Americans are the race most likely to be killed by law enforcement. Yet these stories are ignored in mainstream media. Violence against Native women is an epidemic: one in three Native women will be raped in her life time, and Native women are murdered at a rate ten times the national average. Yet this violence is often not known outside of Native communities. Over and over again, violence against Native Americans is rendered invisible. This syllabus was formed to help fill this absence.

Even if ignored in mainstream social culture, Native Americans are always organizing and advocating around issues that impact them. The original Native Lives Matter Coalition (website here, facebook page here, and twitter here), for example, which is based in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, works to prevent violence against Native communities, address treaty violations, and advocate for environmental justice. Settler-colonialism - an oppression unique to indigenous peoples - connects all of these issues. This syllabus focuses specifically on violence and recognizes the role of settler-colonialism and systemic racism.

Wait! What is “settler colonialism”? How is it different from other forms of colonialism? What is the significance of using this term over others? Settler colonialism is a form of colonialism in which the colonizers seek land, not just resources. Thus, the elimination of the indigenous people on the land is required for the colonizers to replace them. Indigenous people must “disappear” in order for the project of settler-colonialism to be fulfilled; literally (e.g.: murder or removal from land), culturally (e.g.: making their languages or religions illegal), and within the public mind (how often do we see Native Americans in mainstream media and consciousness?). Examples are the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

This syllabus is arranged topically, and in addition to touching on issues such as police violence and violence against women, we provide a historical and political framework. Why are there such high levels of violence impacting Native communities? What laws prevent tribal communities from protecting their own citizens? How are contemporary violences woven with histories of colonialism, racism, and heterosexism?

We acknowledge this is not the full spectrum of available resources and readings. As much as possible, we have tried to choose resources available for free online. However, there are quite a few critical books that we have included on the list that you can find at your local library or bookstore. Additionally, it should be noted that though the website in general privileges the work of marginalized peoples, this syllabus contains the work of both indigenous and non-indigenous writers. Not every reader will agree with everything on this list; if you don't like something, move on to the next one.

Please note that this is meant to be a starting point of the conversation point. The goal of this syllabus is to engage people who are beginning to discuss these issues; this is not for your graduate school seminar. If you have suggestions on other items to include (especially videos, poetry, or art), please let us know! Thank you to those who have assisted in collecting these resources.

We are in strong support and solidarity with Native Americans as they work to lift their communities from violence and bring about justice. We hope these resources inspire you to get involved. Support Native lives. Decolonize. Know Our History. Know Our Struggle. Feel Our Resilience.

We are in support and solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and encourage you to also check out the Black Lives Matter Syllabus website, by whom we were inspired. Thank you for your leadership on these issues.

This syllabus was compiled and written by Abaki Beck (Blackfeet & Red River Metis). It was last edited October 10, 2016.

Book Suggestion: What Does Justice Look Like?: The Struggle for Liberation in Dakota Homeland by Waziyatawin, Living Justice Press; First edition (September 9, 2008).

Book Suggestion: Savage Anxieties: The Invention of Western Civilization by Robert A. Williams, Jr, St. Martin’s Press (August 21, 2012)

Book Suggestion: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared M. Diamond. W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (April 1, 1999)**please note that the work of Jared M. Diamond is controversial among indigenous scholars, some of whom critique his research methods.

NATIVE LIVES MATTER ACTIVISM

What is Native Lives Matter?The term "Native Lives Matter" evolved in response to and solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement calling attention to issues of police brutality. Our communities are similarly impacted by state violence.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Book suggestion: The Beginning and End of Rape: Confronting Sexual Violence in Native America by Sarah Deer. Univ Of Minnesota Press (November 1, 2015). Read an interview with the author to learn more about her book here

Book suggestion: Chain Her by One Foot: The Subjugation of Native Women in Seventeenth Century New France by Karen Anderson. Routledge, 1993